


The Trainer Chronicles

by Argent_Vulpine



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Coming of Age, Hospitalization, Nonbinary Blanche, Original Pokemon Trainer - Freeform, Other, Pokemon - Freeform, Team Mystic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-11 09:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7884889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argent_Vulpine/pseuds/Argent_Vulpine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>These are the journals of a Pokémon trainer, beginning from the very first Pokémon to the trainer's present day, in a much more realistic timeline than the games or the show have ever done.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gathering the Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt: how did you first start putting together your Pokémon team?

I was thirteen, the day I found Edana.

It was a dreary day; the skies were dark with stormclouds, though the rain had yet to begin. My bicycle had thrown the chain after I'd hit a particularly rough patch of road heading home from school, and I was off in the grass, trying to fix it. People passed by me on the road; a few offered to help, but I waved them off, thanking them for their offers.

I first heard the noise after a particularly loud group had passed. There was a soft, almost whimpering sound coming from the thicket of trees nearby. I strained to listen, but only silence greeted me. Convinced I'd been hearing things, I got back to work. With some effort, the chain popped back into place with a satisfying snap. I tried the pedal for a few turns, just to make sure. It clicked into place, good as new.

Once the bike was righted - my books back in the basket - and I was about to head off, I heard the sound again. Frowning, I dropped the kick-stand and walked toward the trees.

I was not at all prepared for what I saw.

A tiny vulpix, so young its tails hadn't even split yet, was crying pathetically at the corpose of its mother. The regal ninetales was lying down, as if in sleep, but there was no rise and fall of her chest. I couldn't tell what had happened to her; disease, was my best guess. There was no sign of other kits. Either they'd wandered off, or this vulpix was her only offspring.

Well. I couldn't just leave the tiny thing all on its own. Carefully I picked up the vulpix, cradling it in my hands. There was just enough room in my basket for the little thing. I deposited it - her, probably - and made sure nothing would fall over onto her before I set off. Instead of heading home, I went to the nearest Pokémon Center. I had some money left over from my allowance, and I was sure my dad would pay the rest, once I could get somewhere to call him.

It was a bit of a ride. I made sure to go slowly, so I wouldn't jostle the young Pokémon about. She'd eventually stopped crying, having fallen asleep on top of my books, her tail curled around her tiny body. At least she wouldn't get cold; even at this age, a vulpix could produce quite a bit of heat.

The visit with the nurse at the Pokémon Center went better than expected. Whatever had gotten the mother did not seem to have attached itself to the baby. I was given a list of things I'd need to feed her - the nurse had confirmed my vulpix to be female - and I'd even been given samples of some of the food. My dad arrived just as we were finishing up. He loaded my bike into the back of the truck and drove me home, the vulpix curled up in my lap.

"You can keep her," he said, smiling sidelong at me. "But she's your responsibility. You're a real trainer now, pumkin." He ruffled my hair, ignoring my protests.

"Thank you, daddy," was my eventual reply. I smiled down at the sleeping vulpix, gently tracing her ears with a fingertip.

\---------

Things got to be pretty routine after that. I went to school, with Edana in my basket. There were other kids at school who had Pokémon already, so it wasn't unusual. Some had even been lucky enough to be gifted Pokémon from a professor, but that was pretty uncommon. Edana was fawned over; it was rare to see a vulpix with a single tail.

She would drape herself across my shoulders or curl up in my lap at any opportunity. Some days we would go for long bike rides after school, and she would prop her front paws on the basket and peer out as the world went by in a blur.

Nights were spent first on my pillow. When she got too big for that, she would curl up next to me on the bed. I never needed more than a light blanket after that.

After a few months, her tails finally split. We were outside playing when it happened. One moment, she had her single tail; the next, they had split. It happened so quickly I can't even recall how or why, just that it did. We celebrated that night with plum cake.

Eventually she got too big to share the basket with my books. I saved up every penny I could and bought a second basket for the back of my bike, so she wouldn't have to give up her favorite perch.

\---------

When I was fourteen, Edana and I began to practice for trainer battles. She learned ember first, of course. Even before we'd begun training she'd been shedding excess heat by spitting flames. It took some work, but we got her spitting them at a bucket of water so she wouldn't do any damage to the house. My dad hadn't been pleased to find a charred rug the first time, to say the least.

Her aim improved greatly. We started going out on weekends to find wild Pokémon for her to fight against. Weedles and caterpie were prolific, and small enough to make good targets. As a result of that training, we stopped needing to buy her so much food from the store, and our garden stopped getting destroyed by rampant bugs.

She picked up quick attack on her own. It was a devastating combination against the bugs and the occasional plant-types we came across.

I was so very proud of her.

\---------

The professor found me at sixteen.

Edana was a fine specimen of a vulpix. She was fiercely loyal, and I never needed to use a Pokéball with her. She could even keep up with the bike at a run, now, at least for a while, but she still preferred her basket.

He was interested in our relationship, and encouraged me to travel as a fully fledged trainer. After talking with my dad, I accepted the challenge. The professor gave me a Pokédex and a handful of Pokéballs. He said that since I had a Pokémon of my own, that I wouldn't need one from him. We'd do fine on our own.

I'd been studying type advantages for so long at that point that it was easy enough to figure out how to build a proper team. Edana and I found a Bellsprout purely by accident. It was a quick battle, and right as the Pokémon started to lose ground, I managed to capture it. A trip to the Pokémon Center and its wounds were dealt with properly.

Unlike Edana, Beanpole stayed in the Pokéball.

Catching Grouchy was much more difficult. We came across a flock of pidgeys, which quickly scattered. They would come at us at random, pecking and flapping their wings in our faces. Edana eventually caught one in her mouth, and it was all I could to stop her from eating it then and there. The only reason Grouchy accepted the Pokéball was because it was better than Edana's mouth.

The three of us made a pretty good team. We battled other trainers and their Pokémon, winning a tidy bit of money, despite our occasional losses.

We made our way to the beach, where I lost three Pokéballs before finally catching a krabby. Snap joined my party reluctantly. Where Beanpole and Grouchy warmed up to me quickly enough (once Edana left them alone), Snap was determined not to like me. He would use his pincer claws and pinch my leg, or grab and hold onto my fingers. Edana tried to eat him, Beanpole ignored him, and Grouchy stayed on my shoulder, well out of reach.

It took a long time to get Snap to accept me as a trainer. We battled our first gym together - bug and ground types, mostly. By the time we got to the gym leader, Snap was a little more welcoming of me. I guess he just needed to see me prove myself.

We needed to visit the Pokémon Center afterward, but the gym badge was well worth the effort. I was a trainer before, but after that badge, I felt like a proper one. My team and I were doing well, and I couldn't have been more proud.


	2. Egg-straordinary! A New Addition!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt: being given a Pokémon or egg by a family member/friend/etc.

I had earned my second gym badge just before my eighteenth birthday. My dad was so proud of me, and asked me to come home so we could celebrate. My bike was good, but not that good, so I ended up taking a train home, the bike safely stowed away as cargo. I still had to bike home from the train station, which was one town over, but I still made it just in time for my actual birthday.

My dad had a cake waiting for me, and there were a few friends from school whom I hadn't seen since before I started my trainer journey. It was nice, being back around friendly faces. Even Edana seemed to relax; I knew it had to be hard on her, it seemed we were always being pulled into trainer battles.

Here, everyone respected that today was a special day. No one challenged me, and we all got to enjoy the day.

It wasn't until everyone went home, leaving me and my dad alone, that he presented my birthday gift. I looked on in awe at the egg, secure in its incubator. "Do... do you know what Pokémon it is?" I asked him, still staring wide-eyed at the egg.

"The Professor who gave it to me said he believes it is an eevee. I know you'd been hoping to get one."

I took the egg out of the incubator and cradled it in my arms, speechless. Edana came to investigate, sniffing the egg before she gave a small yip, licking my cheek in excitement. I took that to mean that my vulpix approved of the gift. Another Pokémon in the party, and one less likely to be as aggravating as Snap or Grouchy. It was a welcome change.

\---------

I stayed home until the egg hatched, not willing to risk it on the road. Edana had taken to curling around it, her small body keeping it warm and cushioned, much better than the incubator could have done. It and she were constant companions on my bed. Of course, it got a little crowded at night, but I didn't care.

My dad and I were tinkering with the bike, Edana and the egg nearby, when I heard the first distinctive snap of a shell cracking. I dropped the tools and turned, hastily wiping my hands on a rag. Edana moved away from the egg so we had a better view, and I got as close as I could.

"Breathe, kiddo," my dad reminded me, patting me on the back. "It's no good if you pass out before it hatches."

At his gentle reminder, I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. I wanted to help the Pokémon out of the shell, but everything I'd learned in school said I should wait unless it looked like it needed help. Still, I couldn't help but brush away bits that had already crumbled off.

With one last, great push, the Pokémon - it really was an eevee! - tumbled out of the shell. My hands shot out automatically, catching it before it could hurt itself. I really had an eevee!

Edana, after making sure it was safe, came to sniff at the baby, her tails quivering in her curiosity. "Isn't it just grand?" I asked of her, my smile so wide it almost hurt. She gave a tiny sneeze and then began licking the eevee, cleaning off bits left from the shell. Taking her example, I carefully transferred the baby to one hand while the other grabbed for a clean rag to dry off the tiny ball of fluff.

"Let's get you to the Pokémon Center so they can tell us whatever we might need to know about this little one, hm?" suggested my dad, helping me up and into his truck. It was a quick ride there. I cuddled my new eevee the whole way, showering love on it. Thankfully Edana didn't seem to be jealous at all. Rather, she watched over him almost protectively. I would be forever grateful that she hadn't gotten angry at me for putting the little one first for a time. My vulpix would always be my number one.

\---------

The visit with the nurse had gone smoothly enough. My eevee was a boy, and in fine health. I was told what to feed him and some of the best ways to care for him, and then sent on my way.

"What will you name him?" my dad asked during the drive home. "Will you name him hoping for his evolution?"

"No, I don't think I will," I said after some thought. "I'd like for him to decide what he wants to be." The rest of the ride was quiet as I thought about names.

As we were pulling into the drive of the house, I finally said, "I think... I think I'll name him Numair." Numair was a character in a book that I really liked. He was a powerful character, but very kind and caring. It was the kind of name I hoped would influence my eevee, not in what he would evolve into, but in what kind of personality he would have.

\---------

I stayed at home for another month, letting Numair get used to the rest of the team. He and Edana became almost inseparable. They both slept on the bed with me, and I was reluctant to put either on in a Pokéball. Eventually, I gave up on the thought of doing so entirely. There was no point, and I loved them both too much to put them through that.

We were back on the train at the end of the month, headed back to where I'd left off on my trainer journey. It was a liberating experience, being back on the road with almost nothing but my bike and my beloved Pokémon. Edana took her customary place in the front basket; now I had Numair in the back, safely curled on top of my backpack.

Realistically, I knew most trainers kept their entire teams in Pokéballs until it was time to battle. Leaving one out was not common on the road, but I found I had fewer problems with wild Pokémon if my own were already out. I was otherwise traveling alone, and that got both dull and depressing. At least with Edana and Numair by my side, things were interesting.


	3. And Then What Happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt: you and your Pokémon deal with a life-threatening situation.

I was twenty-two when I was hospitalized.

At first, it was just a bit of coughing, nothing serious. We'd been caught outside when a storm hit. Edana and Numair had cuddled together for warmth, the vulpix keeping them relatively comfortable, even dry as she spread her tails above them like an umbrella. I didn't have a raincoat, or anything else to protect me from the wet, but I figured it wouldn't be too much of an issue.

Except the rain kept coming down, and it got colder, and colder. By the time we got back to the little inn where we were staying, I was shivering. A towel and some fresh, dry clothes helped, but I still felt pretty bad.

I dried off my Pokémon, and we all piled onto the bed, Edana's warmth like a furnace at my side.

The next morning, I awoke shivering despite the vulpix's nearness. At the time, I thought nothing of it. After all, she was only on one side of me. The rest only had a blanket to keep me warm, and the room did feel a bit chilly.

Still, I had to get moving. We were pressing on to the next town, and the next gym. I was up to four badges now, and on my way for the fifth. My party had grown since I'd gotten Numair, though most were in the Pokémon storage system. I'd even captured a Pikachu whom I'd named Volt, though he spent his time in a Pokéball. Edana and Numair hadn't been fond of him, and it was taking me time to get them used to him being around.

Not for the first time, I wished I'd gotten my beloved Pokémon used to being in a Pokéball. I didn't want them out in this awful weather, but they refused to leave me all alone.

At least the rain had stopped, though the air was still chilly. I'd need to buy some warmer clothes, if the weather kept going this way. I was much further north than my home town, so it wasn't too surprising, just unpleasant.

That was the last thing I remember thinking. I'd been getting on my bike after loading Edana and Numair into their baskets. I had a brief memory of squealing brakes, the sensation of falling, intense pain, and then... nothing.

\---------

I woke some time later in a hospital bed, the rhythmic beep of machines surrounding me. A cough forced its way out of me, and once I started, I couldn't seem to stop. My stomach clenched at the violence of it, and I retched, though nothing came out.

My body weak, I lay back on the bed and looked around the room. There was a chair by the window; Edana and Numair were curled up in it, though my vulpix was watching me intently, likely having been awoken by my coughing.

Everything hurt. Just from what I could see, there were bandages everywhere. My left arm was in a splint - so probably not really broken, but definitely fractured - and when I felt the bump on my head, my fingers brushed across more bandages. I'd taken a pretty hard fall, whatever happened.

A nurse came to check on me, taking my temperature and making sure I drank some water. I tried to ask her what happened, but she shushed me before I could get a single word out, clucking her tongue at me as she made me lie back down. The nurse bustled out of the room, only to be replaced several long minutes later by a doctor.

She settled onto a stool beside my bed, nodding briefly at my Pokémon before turning fully to me. "You have some scrapes and bruises," she began, gesturing toward the bandages on my arms and legs. "Your arm is definitely fractured, but we don't think you'll need a cast. You took a bump to the head, but we're most concerned about your fever. When you were brought in, it was pushing 104°F. A very dangerous temperature. We brought your fever down, but we want to monitor you for a while, to make sure you didn't suffer any major side effects from it being that high."

Edana moved as if she were going to join me on the bed, but the doctor waved her down. "Sorry, but your trainer needs rest and for the fever to come down. You'll have to wait a while."

My vulpix made a sound almost like a grumble, clearly voicing her annoyance, but she settled back down beside Numair. The little eevee had stirred during the commotion, but hadn't moved other than to turn his concerned gaze on me. "Sorry, guys," I rasped, my voice hoarse and throat dry.

The doctor handed me a cup of water, encouraging me to drink more. "I'll get the nurse to bring you some soup. You haven't eaten in several hours." She patted my hand and stood, rearranging her lab coat. "You're very lucky, you know. Your Pokémon are very loyal, to have gotten help for you when they did."

I turned my head to look at my companions and smiled, sinking back into slumber.

\---------

There was a cold fruit soup on the table beside my bed, and a thermos of hot tea. I drank both greedily, alternating between the two until both were gone. By the time I finished the last dregs of the tea, the nurse had returned. "Well, trainer, your fever is back to a more manageable level. That's good news. I'm sure you're wondering what happened?" When I nodded, she continued, sitting me up briefly to plump the pillow beneath my head. "We're not sure, but we believe your fever caused you to black out. You were on the road. A car hit you, thankfully not too hard, but you've suffered some contusions, and a few abrasions. You'll be fine, though a couple of bigger ones may leave scars."

"When can I leave?" I asked, suddenly anxious. I'd never really liked hospitals, though I appreciated their existence.

"Oh, we want to keep you overnight. We don't think you have a concussion, but we want to monitor you, just in case."

I nodded, understanding even though I wasn't happy with it. "Do they have to stay in the chair, or can they sleep next to me now?" I finally asked, pointing a shaky finger to my Pokémon.

The nurse frowned, thoughtful. "Well... your fever is down. I don't see a problem with it, but I'll need to ask the doctor."

I took the opportunity of her leaving lever myself out of the bed and hobble to the bathroom, dragging my IV stand with me. Wincing, I pulled up the hospital gown to take a look. My left leg had taken the brunt of the impact; there was an angry bruise that looked suspiciously like the front of a car. It was a miracle I hadn't broken my leg, too. The fractured arm was equally bruised, though it looked more like the handlebar of my bike had smashed into it. Likely that's what had happened.

Numair nudged the door open, Edana a half step behind him. They both looked up at me as I wavered unsteadily on my feet. "I'm sorry, loves," I said softly. "I had no idea how sick I was." Standing was taking an enormous effort, so I forced myself back to the bed, a Pokémon on either side of me as encouragement.

The doctor arrived just as I sat back down, my legs giving out. She pursed her lips dispprovingly, but said nothing. "The nurse says you'd like your companions to be allowed on the bed with you?" she finally asked, helping me swing my legs back up onto the bed. When I nodded, she gave a slight smile. "That should be fine."

Needing no further encouragement, Edana and Numair leapt onto the bed, crowding against me, their small, warm bodies burrowing under my arms, reassuring themselves that I was still there. I leaned back against the pillow and closed my eyes, holding them against me.

That was a close call. Too close.

\---------

I was kept two days longer than originally intended. While the fever had gone down some, it remained stubbornly high and refused to break completely. I was given all sorts of medicine and treatments. The hospital even called my father to let him know what was going on. He couldn't get to me, of course, but he settled the bill with them and sent his love.

Finally the fever was gone, and I was allowed to check out of the hospital.

My bike was a mangled mess, but at least my clothes had been spared. All of my filled Pokéballs were accounted for, and I'd been assured numerous times that Numair and Edana had managed to jump free before they came to harm. I don't know what I would have done had any of them been hurt because of my neglect.

Perhaps I was a little worse for the wear, but I was still alive, and so were my Pokémon, and that's what mattered the most.

We'd figure out the rest.


	4. The Start of Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt: most difficult Pokémon capture.

I'd had a hard time capturing Pokémon before, but the most difficult one I'd ever had to date came when I was twenty-four.

It should have been easy. Edana was very strong now, though she still refused to evolve. I had a fire stone in my bag just for her, but she ignored it. Still, when we went up against the scyther, it should have been a walk in the park.

The scyther was tall for its species; at a little over five foot it towered over Edana, but she stood her ground. My ferocious little vulpix wasn't willing to give up, and at this point in our lives, she was good in battle. We'd just taken our seventh badge, after all.

But we weren't accounting on the scyther to be so fast! It slashed at her with bladed arms; she only just managed to get out of the way, but she lost a bit of fluff for her troubles. I had to hold on to Numair, keeping him back while Edana went to work. She managed a few hits on the big bug, her fire caused considerable damage, but it still kept coming.

I had a few ultra balls, but I didn't want to waste them. Perhaps I should...? No. I made myself wait, letting Edana whittle the mantis down.

She spat a wheel of fire at the scyther; it blocked most with a sweep of its blade, but a few got through and hit it in the side. I took the opportunity to throw out an ultra ball. It backhanded the sphere, breaking it in two. Cursing, I dug out another one. I would not let this one get away!

Edana darted between its legs and around to its back, hoping to surprise it from behind.

The scyther took flight, glaring down at the little vulpix. She yipped her fury at it before spitting a bigger fireball its way. The fire singed its wings, forcing it to land, but it wasn't done yet. It slashed at her, this time leaving a cut behind. Blood seeped out of the wound, and my heart caught in my throat. Sure, she'd taken damage before, but every time it pained me to see it as much as it must have pained her.

Still, she growled at the scyther and kept her feet. I threw another ultra ball while it was distracted. The ball bounced off the scyther's head and popped open, a bright light engulfing it before it snapped shut around the Pokémon, converting it into data and trying to hold on to it.

The ball landed on the ground with a _thunk_ and rocked for a moment before the scyther burst free again, clearly perturbed at having been captured at all.

It turned on me and dashed forward, aiming for a cut. Edana chased after it, too late, but Numair was already on the move, flipping his tiny body between me and the scyther, his paws raking at the bug's carapace. The mantis took a step back, startled, as if it had forgotten the eevee was there. Edana used the momentary distraction to spit more fire at it, knocking it to its knees.

"Give up already!" I yelled, though I admired the scyther's spirit. At this point, I just wanted the battle to be over so I could tend to my Pokémon's wounds.

The scyther chattered at me, once more angered, but Edana had the advantage now. She spat fireball after fireball at it until it was pinned to the ground. I took out one more ultra ball and threw it with a silent prayer. The orb popped open and once again the scyther was surrounded by light, shrinking until it fit inside the sphere.

The ball closed with a snap and rolled to the ground. I waited with bated breath until I heard the subtle _snick_ that meant the capture had been successful.

"You were one tough shell to crack," I said to the ball before I picked it up, adding it to my collection. "Come on, Edana, Numair. Let's go get fixed up."

\---------

That night, Edana nosed into my bag, digging for something. I upended the whole thing for her, wondering what she was after.

Without hesitation, she clamped her teeth around the fire stone. She was ready to evolve.

I stepped back in awe as my vulpix began to glow. It was so bright I almost had to look away, but I couldn't. I saw more tails split from the ones she already had, and she grew much larger. Two feet tall nearly doubled, and her fur went from a dull reddish-brown to a soft cream. The light diminished, then vanished entirely, and before me stood my proud Edana, now a Ninetales. "I'm so proud of you!" I hugged her fiercely, letting my joy in her evolution show. She gave a soft croon and nuzzled my cheek, as if in apology for taking so long. "I love you so much, Edana," I whispered to her. "I'm glad you decided you were ready."

It was a brand new day, and we had a lot to do.


	5. It's a Bit Cold Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt: meeting Articuno for the first time.

By the time I was thirty, I had beaten every gym in my region. Eight gym badges now glittered from my vest, and I wore them proudly. I still trained with my Pokémon almost every day, but it had less of a sense of urgency now.

We were simply enjoying ourselves and the companionship of a long-standing team.

Blade, the scyther who'd given me such a hard time, had taken the place of Beanpole. I'd let the fully evolved victreebell go, thanking it for its years of hard work; it seemed relieved, having never quite fit in with the team. Grouchy was now a pidgeot, much too big to sit on my shoulder as he had when he was young. Snap was a kingler, and just as snippy as ever. Volt hadn't evolved yet, and I wasn't going to push him. After all, I'd made it a point to let my Pokémon evolve when they were ready, not when I was.

Numair still hadn't decided what he wanted to be. I'd offered him stones, of course, but he'd turned his nose up at them, so I figured he was still thinking on it. I loved him just the same, no matter what he decided on. Edana, of course, never left my side. She and Numair were still close, of course, but she would never stray too far from me. I think the accident had scared her as much as it had me.

We were wandering at this point, picking up odd jobs, writing stories, entering contests, and of course battling other trainers. I had a pretty steady income from it all, enough to feed myself and my Pokémon, get us a place to stay in every town, and whatever else we needed. I'd gone from a bicycle to a motorcycle somewhere along the way. It had a sidecar that Edana and Numair had claimed for their own. Maybe it didn't look 'cool', but they were safe and I was happy. We made better time than ever with that motorcycle.

It was during our time wandering north that we ran into a serious problem. I knew it was cold, certainly, and I'd dressed for the weather. Numair and Edana huddled together in the sidecar, using Edana's natural body heat to keep the both of them warm. I'd put ice chains on the tires to help with traction. We were on our way to the nearest town and things had been going well... until I realized that we were lost.

Technology had advanced in the years since I first became a trainer, but nothing at my disposal was helping me figure out _where_ , precisely, we were.

We were lost in the snow-capped mountains, and dark was fast approaching. I could see clouds in the distance, and my concern grew. What if those clouds were bringing more snow? We'd never find our way back. "I'm sorry," I told my Pokémon, giving their heads a gentle caress. "I'll get us out of this somehow."

I turned the motorcycle around, thankful that I was still on a path, even if it wasn't the road we needed. It was my hope that we'd see a sign to at least tell us where we were, and which way to go.

The minutes were long, and they stretched into hours as I desperately tried to get us back on the main road. There was no sign of civilization anywhere. We were trapped in the mountains. I'd long ago tucked Numair into my coat, letting him burrow against me for warmth. Edana had made herself as small as she could. I'd dug out a blanket from my supplies and tossed it over her; even her natural heat was not enough for the steadily decreasing temperature.

Not for the first time did I wish they would accept a Pokéball. At least then they wouldn't have to suffer the biting cold. My nose was red, I knew, even though I'd wrapped a scarf around my face and neck. The goggles I wore on the road protected my eyes from the stinging wind, though it got harder to see even through those as the wind kicked up snow all around me.

I'd lost track of the time when the Pokémon appeared, almost like a ghost in the flurry of snow. At first, it was difficult to see what it was, aside from 'big'. The Pokémon was nearly as tall as I was, and distinctly bird-shaped. I rubbed at my goggles, trying to clear them enough to see. Was it... no... no, it couldn't _possibly_ be...

It flapped its wings, sending a stream of snow toward me and leaving clear air in its wake. " _Articuno_ ," I breathed in disbelief. Seeing it now, there was no mistaking the spiky feathers like ice crystals sprouting from the top of its head, and the tail feathers streaming around it in the wind. It was blue ice, beautiful but also dangerous.

Edana peeked her head out from beneath the blanket and stared at the giant bird. Her red eyes met Articuno's, her glare almost defiant. I stepped between them, protective of my Pokémon. "Can you... can you help us find the town?" I asked, attempting to keep my voice calm. It clicked its beak at me, but otherwise ignored my words.

"That's a fine specimen you have there," came a voice. Startled, I looked around, trying to find the speaker. I was sure that Articuno didn't know human speech. "Please forgive me and my friend here. We didn't meant to surprise you." From behind the Articuno came a figure, clad in blue and white. Their hair was long and silver-white; it almost blended with the snow, and streamed behind them like the Articuno's tail feathers. "My name is Blanche." The person paused, scrutinizing me. "You appear to have a Pokémon in your coat."

"Oh, ah, yes," I said, looking down to see Numair had poked his head out. "This is Numair. That is Edana." I gestured to the ninetales, who was peering around me, still locking eyes with the Articuno. "Would you happen to know how to get to the town?"

"Certainly. Articuno and I will lead you there. What is your name?" inquired Blanche, looking over at me, as if calculating my worth.

"I'm Argent," I said, pushing the motorcycle forward. It was heavy, but if I were to follow this person, then I didn't want to risk getting too far ahead of them. "Do you live around here, Blanche?"

"Articuno does, unless it is traveling with me. I am here to study ice Pokémon." The legendary bird - I still couldn't believe I was actually seeing it! - finally broke eye contact with Edana, instead turning to brush its beak against Blanche, preening their long hair.

We walked for a time, Blanche and I talking matters of Pokémon and their evolutions. I mentioned that Numair had not yet chosen what he wanted to be, which earned me a long stare before they nodded, cataloging my response. "It's good that you don't force them to evolve. While the process is something I've been studying for quite some time, I feel it is wrong to force a Pokémon to do something it does not want to do. The way you treat your eevee and your ninetales is truly a sight to behold. Many trainers are not so patient."

I wasn't sure how long we walked, but it was dark, the moon high in the sky and casting an eerie glow over the snowy ground. Articuno would fly ahead and wait, or hop alongside us for a time. I'd offered Blanche space in the sidecar, but it was politely declined.

When we topped a ridge that overlooked the town, I sagged with gratitude and relief. "Thank you so much, Blanche - and Articuno - for getting us here. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

The pair turned to look at me, Blanche's hand absently rubbing the bird's beak as they thought. "Your resolve is fascinating. I am putting together a team of trainers dedicated to researching Pokémon, and I would like for you to become a member. Don't answer right now, of course. Think about it. I am staying just outside of town, in a laboratory on loan from a professor. You can find me there, when you are ready."

After giving my thanks a final time, I headed down the road to the town, my head spinning. I had a lot to think about. The Articuno took to the skies above me, its cries echoing in the mountains. I watched, awed, until it faded into the distance.

A few days later, after discussing things with my Pokémon, I took Blanche up on the offer, and became an official member of Team Mystic.


End file.
